Ocean Youth Aotearoa
Win 1 of 2 FREE passes to Ocean Youth Aotearoa
Terms & Conditions
- The successful applicant must be available to attend all the programme days from Monday 12th January to Thursday 22nd January, 2026.
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Applications will close on Friday, 12th December. Applicants will be informed of the outcome no later than 5 pm on Thursday 18th December.
What is Ocean Youth?
What is Ocean Youth?
An 8-day programme delivered across two weeks (Mon-Thurs) for students aged 13-16 years.
Ocean Youth is supporting young people to learn how to make, and influence, positive action for our ocean.
We will unlock new and innovative thinking and collaborations, foster tomorrow’s change makers and enable empowered community led action.
Participants will establish connections with like-minded individuals, be educated on threats in their own backyard, be empowered to create and implement conservation initiatives in their own communities and be exposed to career pathways
Ocean Youth Aotearoa is made possible with support from Kelly Tarlton's Marine Wildlife Trust, WWF-NZ, and the Chisholm Whitney Charitable Trust.
Programme Details
A 8-day programme delivered Monday-Thursday across two weeks
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Monday 12th January- Thursday 15th January (no Friday session)
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Monday 19th January- Thursday 22nd January (no Friday session, final day finishes at 2pm)
This exciting programme starts at 9 am (drop-off time between 8:30am - 9am), and ends at 4 pm each day (pick-up time between 4:00pm- 4:30pm) Price for participation: $320 for 8 days ($40 per day) + Humanitix $9.90 booking fee
Some activities are weather-dependent. We will do our best to provide alternative experiences where possible and will advise you of any programme changes. For questions and queries please contact hayley@kellytartlonstrust.org
Programme Overview
The summer programme is currently being developed with our partners but will include:
- Field trips to the world's first fully protected marine reserve, Goat Island/Te Hawere-a-Maki
- Snorkeling experiences
- A Behind-the-Scenes tour of the SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's aquarium
- Workshops on scientifically surveying the marine environment
- Talks by leaders in the marine space including volunteers, scientists, aquarists, and divers
- Support to come up with your own project to support marine conservation in your own community, iwi, or school
- A whole heap of fun and adventures in your very own Tīkapa Moana!
FAQ's
Young people aged 13-17 years
For young people aged 8-12 years old we recommend the Explorers Programme delivered by our friends Young Ocean Explorers
https://www.youngoceanexplorers.com/explorers/
Ocean Youth Aotearoa is an 8 day programme across 2 weeks where young people will forge relationships and work on a project idea to take back to their community. Unfortunately there is no single-day option.
The programme has been designed to start and finish at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s each day to provide a consistent location for drop off and pick up.
A 1:6 ratio with 3 facilitators and 18 participants.
We use the NZ Police Vetting service. Our team of facilitators are trained first-aiders, and where driving occurs this will be under a full driver’s license. The programme leaders are guided by a qualified education expert with knowledge of the NCEA curriculum and latest teaching methods.
Absolutely not. We recognise participants will come from different learning levels and our team will create an environment to make all learners comfortable and engaged.
Programmes held in warmer months may have snorkeling and swimming components. These days have extra measures and staff in place to ensure your safety. However, we recommend that you can comfortably swim from one end of a pool and back (50 m) and can tread water for two minutes.
Programmes held in warmer months that have snorkeling components will have all equipment provided. However, you are welcome to bring your own gear if you prefer.
Sea temperatures in January range from 17 to 22 degrees celsius and wetsuits will be provided. You will need to bring your swimwear, a towel and something warm for afterwards.
Auckland weather is unpredictable, so bring an outer layer that can deal with rain and a bit of cold weather. A hat is also recommended.
Definitely. We have a variety of partners with different careers and skills who will be leading different days on the programme. We will have Q&A sessions with these partners at the end of each day, so you can learn how they got into their job, and what you can do to achieve the same goal.
A backpack with your food and drink bottle along with suitable footwear and clothing. We suggest dressing warm and bringing a raincoat.
